Caged In
by doublethepleasure
Summary: Slade wants Raven as his apprentice. Set after the defeat of Trigon. First Teen Titans fanfic. Main characters at this point will be Raven, Slade, and perhaps Robin. There are no pairings at this point, though Slade and Raven are strongly hinted at. Rating changed to M due to the occasional curse word and impending adult situations.
1. Prologue

I do not own Teen Titans or any of the characters although I like to dream that I do. Please R&R! And Enjoyy!

Prologue-

Raven meditated quietly in her room, trying to drone out the pointless argument happening outside of her door. It was a Saturday morning and she had woken up from yet another nightmare, this one depicting the Titan's evil arch nemesis, Slade running after her and trying to- she had woken up at that point, panting heavily and hot and damp from sweating. Raven had tried to go back to sleep after that, it wasn't ever good for her to not get enough sleep, but she couldn't. Instead, she just stayed up, pondering why Slade had been running after her.

He was normally after Robin, and Robin shared his obsession. Raven snorted in disgust. Robin had no self control. Last time Robin had an encounter with Slade, it had turned out to all be in his mind. That's just how obsessed that boy was with him. And Slade had an almost fatherly way of handling him. If one's paternal instinct included manipulating, taunting, and nearly killing your son and his friends every time you saw them. But still… it was somewhat fatherly…

So when Raven finally came to the conclusion that she would not be sleeping for the remainder of the night, she went to meditating. She didn't know how long she'd been there, levitating above her bed. But it had to be hours, because Beast Boy rarely woke up before ten and that's who was disrupting her peace that morning.

"DUDE! You can't do this to me! It's not fair! It's my turn to choose what game we play today! You got to choose yesterday." Beast Boy whined from outside Raven's door. Raven stopped mid-chant to open an eye, frowning towards the door.

"Come on, man. That was Stank-Ball. And you wanted to play too, so you can't complain. How about some football? Everybody loves a good game of football." Raven rolled her eyes at their bickering. Sometimes their arguments could be so stupid. Correction. All of the time.

"Fine. But next time, it is soo my choice!" Raven waited patiently for the two of them to pass by her room and go through the hall, so she could resume her meditation. When she heard the sounds of their retreating footsteps and could no longer hear them arguing about teams, she settled herself back down and closed her eyes.

"Azarath Metrion Zinthos. Azarath Metrion Zinthos. Azarath Metrion-" There was a loud banging at her door and Raven inhaled sharply at the second interruption. She stayed where she was, not moving to get up and open the door, hoping that whoever it was would go away if they could see that she was busy and didn't want to be interrupted. But the knocks kept coming. Someone had to be dying or it had better be the end of the freaking world. She thought bitterly to herself.

She opened the door to reveal Starfire's glowing face. "Hello, friend Raven. I was just wondering if you would like to join me in-"

"No." Raven made to shut the door but when she saw Starfire's downcast face, she rolled her eyes at her own insensitivity and muttered, "Maybe later, we can do something."

"Oh, glorious!" And Starfire left, clapping her hands together, smiling.

Peace. At last.

The girl turned back towards her room and sighed heavily. No doubt she'd soon be hearing about being a referee for football and she HAD promised Starfire that she'd do something with her later. But at least until then, she'd have a few hours of quiet to herself.

It was just at that moment of course, that the blasted siren had to go off. The whole tower was flashing red and beeping. Raven groaned to herself. Oh well, there was crime to fight now. Rest could come later.


	2. Chapter One

I do not own Teen Titans or any of the characters although I like to dream that I do. Don't forget to R&R! And Enjoyy!

Chapter One-

"Slade." Robin growled the name like it the most foul thing in the world. And it was pretty high up there. The Titans were assembled around him accordingly and took up fighting stances, as they all faced the most elusive villain.

"Ah, yes. Robin. What a pleasant surprise. But I'm afraid I don't have time to chat today. I have some other… important things to take care of. Grown-up matters." He cocked his head mockingly as he spoke to them, and Robin scowled in anger.

"You can't hack the city's main central computer system. It's-"

"But Robin-" Slade leaned closer, "I already have."

"Then what're you after, Slade?" Robin nearly screamed with frustration.

Slade glanced sideways at Raven, who was getting tired of the chat session and whose black orbs of energy were pulsing from her hands. "Let's just say, I'm feeling a bit ambitious." And he sent a flying kick at Robin.

"Titans! GO!" Slade's robots launched themselves from wherever they had been hiding and Robin, Cyborg, Starfire, Beast Boy, and Raven began fighting them off. Slade surveyed his work with a smug satisfaction, before turning to leave.

Robin destroyed another of Slade's robots when he noticed Slade taking off, "Raven!" he yelled. Raven looked up from where she was fighting, to see Robin pointing to Slade running off. "Azarath Metrion Zinthos!" She split the robot in half and took off after Slade.

Raven found herself in a long corridor in City Hall. During daylight, it was bright and cheery, but after hours, it was full of shadows. She knew he was here, though it was dead silent. She could feel him, his presence. If she could just wait for him. He'd have to show himself eventually. So she backed herself into a corner, right into the arms of, "Slade." She hissed the words out, hating herself for sounding so much like Robin.

"Yes," He sounded amused, as if, he too, were expecting something more creative to escape her lips than what Robin always said. "Now, what is my favorite little Titan doing all alone?" She struggled to get out of his grip, but it only tightened. She refused to play into his little mind tricks, they'd only feed into her rage and a lot of good that'd do her.

"Let me go!" Her eyes blazed and she kneed him, forcing a grunt of pain out of him. He loosened his hold of her and she quickly broke free of his grasp, and started to run away from him before remembering that Robin had told her to go AFTER him and to find out whatever he was trying to get a hold of.

"Now, now, Raven. Haven't you been told it's not very nice to play naughty like that? It can hurt." Slade's chilling voice sent shivers up her spine, but she forced herself to face him. He was stalking towards her, down the main hall.

She glared at him and started chanting, "Azarath Metri-" Slade kicked her to the ground and made to hit her but she sent a black shield around herself. She put out a leg and tripped him, giving herself time to get up and send a table his way. He avoided it gracefully and with ease and proceeded to throw continuous hits and punches at her, some of which she was able to avoid, others made their way to their intended host. "Hmm… I wouldn't say hand-to-hand combat is your best feature. Might be something you want to work on."

"I don't think I'll be taking any advice from you." Raven sneered as she made a move to hit Slade. He grabbed her by the wrist and wrenched her arm back, ignoring her screams of pain.

"Oh, I think you'd do well to take advice from me. You'd learn a thing or two. Like, how to control these powers of yours and maybe a few other things." He spoke softly and temptingly in her ear, smoothing back her hair with his other hand even as the other gave her unspeakable pain. He let go.

And Raven pulled back to cradle her arm and glare up at the man before her. "I wasn't after anything tonight. Nothing, but you. And now that you know what I want, there's no need to stay. Just know that I will have you eventually. It's just this pretense of a choice that would get it off to a good start."

She snorted at him disbelievingly, "You can't honestly expect me to become your apprentice? Robin was a complete failure. And Terra… Well, you couldn't have picked a more traitorous bitch."

"Good-bye, Raven. I'll be seeing you and your little friends quite soon." And he leapt out of the main hall's window. Raven ran to the window's ledge, but he was gone. She couldn't see him on the rooftops, or even the streets below. He had just vanished.

She sighed heavily, wondering how she would explain the loss of Slade to Robin. She wasn't stupid enough to mention that she had had a conversation with the enemy and one involving her becoming his apprentice. Raven could just imagine how that would turn out. (Chibi versions of Raven and Robin fighting. This is not really how the fight would be, obviously…)

"Umm… So I…"

"You lost Slade! I can't believe it! If I had been there then-!"

"Then what, Robin? We would've lost to Slade together?"

"…"

"Anyways, there's something I've been meaning to talk about. So while Slade and I were fighting we were kinda' talking, and-"

"WHAT! You were fraternizing with the enemy? How could you do that Raven? You of all people should know that-"

"And so, he kinda' wants me to be his apprentice and I don't know whether I should feel flattered or gross…"

"What the hell! I need to talk to Slade. I thought that was our special bond. Like, we beat each other up, and he taught me stuff that he wanted me to use for evil, and once we even went out for pizza."

Raven paused at the door to where her friends were just finishing up with Slade's robotic minions. No, she'd have to be an idiot to tell Robin all of what happened.


	3. Chapter Two

Chapter Two-

Back at the tower, Beast Boy and Cyborg were playing video games while Starfire was slurping up her third mustard that hour. Raven wrinkled her nose in distaste. She didn't even like mustard. And how did Starfire eat that stuff at that rate without gaining a single pound? But she was forced to withdraw from her thoughts when she noticed an aggravated Robin looking at her.

"What happened?" He frowned at her.

She opened her mouth to say something before she realized she had no idea what she was going to what those words were supposed to be. Not a position she found herself in very often. He looked at her expectantly and she found herself getting irritated. "We fought, and I lost. It all seems pretty simple to me. Why are you getting all huffy?"

"Because it's Slade! And I've seen you fight him before. You threw him around like he was nothing. So, why was tonight any different?" He crossed his arms over his chest and he examined her closely.

"I was taking out my rage at him, then! There was my father to deal with, the prophecy, and I didn't want to deal with Slade too. But Robin, the world wasn't ending tonight." Her eyes flashed with a fierce anger and Robin backed up instinctively putting his hands up in an apologetic gesture.

"Yeah, I guess. Sorry… I guess I'm just worried to see Slade again, especially after he's been so quiet recently." He gave a small, worried frown.

Raven sighed with relief. Good, so he wasn't pushing her. Cause that wouldn't help either of them. She gave him a small nod and turned to leave before asking him, "Oh, and Robin? Could you, um? Would you mind training me some more in some hand-to-hand combat? I think it's- one of my weaker points."

Robin's face went blank for a minute as he comprehended her request. "You want me to train you in hand-to-hand combat? Are you sure? Last time we tried that, you nearly took my head off, you hated it so much."

Raven groaned inwardly. He was right. She hated it. It really wasn't one of her strengths. She was far better off when sticking with her powers in battle, but what Slade had said was eating at her. "Yeah. I think it's time I try it again."

"Okay, then. Tomorrow morning, Seven o'clock sharp in the training room." And he made his way to the couch to sit next to Starfire, who was onto her fifth bottle of mustard.

Raven left her teammates to go to her room. She was hoping to get some quiet time in before Starfire reminded her of her earlier promise to "do the hanging out" together. When she got to her room, she made for her bookshelf, quickly pulling several novels off her shelves and brought them over to her bed. She scanned the titles and chose the Southern classic _Gone With The Wind_. Not something one would assume a girl like her would read, but she loved just about any book that could occupy her for hours with intelligent and interesting material. Escape.

She had only just began the first chapter however, when she was interrupted by the unsettling and familiar voice of Slade. "Raven." It was spoken softly, yet sharply and it gave the girl chills, making her shiver.

She froze in fear as he called her name again, this time, harsher. He wasn't in her room. She would have sensed that. So where was the voice coming from? Some communicator? Or chip? "I know you're in there. There's no sense in trying to hide the fact. You're reading _Gone With The Wind_. Interesting choice, I wouldn't have pegged you for a Southern romantic type, myself."

Her breath caught as she realized he had cameras hidden in her room too, "I guess the term 'respect one's privacy' never crossed your mind, huh?" She replied when she got her voice back. Raven closed the book and placed it on her bedside table. She carefully got up from her bed and began walking around her room, searching for anything that looked like a camera.

"Such trivial matters never bother me. I see you've taken my advice and are going to train in hand-to-hand combat." Raven wasn't surprised that he knew this. If he managed to get audio AND cameras in her room, then why not tap the rest of the tower, too? "You're not going to find it."

"Find what?" Better to play dumb.

"The cameras. But have fun trying. I'll be looking forward to seeing how your training session goes tomorrow. Of course, if you were training with me, you'd improve much faster and with better results."

"Yeah, like with two broken ribs, a black eye, and a fractured collar bone. Some better results those would be."

He laughed coldly and she could tell there was no humor to it, "We shall see. Good-night, Raven."

Raven waited for a while before returning to her bed. She sat on the edge before lying down, and tried not to think of who was watching her. But it was impossible. Some psychopathic criminal had cameras and audio in her room and she was just supposed to lay there and sleep? She tossed and turned, never once closing her eyes, before finally groaning to herself and dragging herself out of her bed along with a blanket and pillow. Her clock read 2:03 a.m. The others would hopefully be asleep so she could have the couch to herself.

Slade observed Raven in her room as she unsuccessfully tried to sleep. He smiled to himself and with the press of a button the screen went black.


	4. Chapter Three

Don't own Teen Titans.

Please read and review! I haven't gotten many reviews but I do LOVE them! They keep me writing!

Chapter Three-

6:45 a.m. Her alarm clock wouldn't let her ignore the time. And she knew she had to get up regardless of her body's desperate desire to curl back up into the warm blanket and drift back into a fitful sleep. But she rolled off the couch regardless, brushed her teeth, combed her hair, and slipped into her uniform.

Raven met Robin in the training room and he smiled at her, putting down his metal staff that he had been doing moves with. She just grimaced at him, "Well, I guess it is a bit early for you. Especially to be training for this sort of thing. So, why don't we start out with something you're comfortable with and work from there." He suggested.

"What? Like meditating?" She swore that if he even tried that nasty head-lock move on her this morning, she would kill him. Robin was right about one thing. It was way too early to be training.

He gave a short laugh. "Sure, if that's what works for you. But I was thinking more along the lines of moves that you were comfortable with. Like kicks or hits or punches. Things I've already taught you."

"Okay. Well, morning's not my best time, but-" Robin threw a punch at her shoulder and she dodged it. He then went for her stomach with a kick which got her right in the gut. She gave a small grunt as she hit the floor clutching her stomach.

"Good. You dodged my first attack well. It was the kick that threw you off. Now try to attack me." Robin said as he helped her off the ground.

Raven tried to hit him but he quickly moved. She frowned as she concentrated and made another attack, this time making it out like she was going to punch him on one side so he'd move to the other so she could trip him. Once on the floor, she quickly straddled him, fist poised above his face as if to punch him.

"Not bad." Robin smirked up at her.

"Not bad? I think that was pretty damn-"

But she never got to finish her sentence because Robin rolled them over so he was on top. "But I was on the defense that entire time. Not once did I make a move on you. Let's do it differently this time." He smirked down at Raven.

"I'm tired. Can't we do this later?" She looked up at him with narrowed eyes, only too aware of how much he was enjoying himself. She pushed him off of her and got up, dusting herself off. She was blushing at his previous statement and quickly pulled her cloak hood over her face.

"Sure." He moved aside and watched her as she practically ran out of the training room. Left to his own thoughts, he took out his metal staff and ran his fingers along its smooth surface. Why was Raven so nervous? Did it have to do with Slade? And what was Slade up to nowadays anyway? He frowned, now worried, and decided to train even more rigorously.

Raven was back in her room after her little training session with Robin. They'd been training for an hour according to her clock and it explained why she was so tired. Ew. She was in desperate need of a shower. She began to take off her cloak and her shoes and even began to peel off her leotard when she remembered the cameras in her room. Damnit! How was she supposed to shower? Well, surely Slade hadn't put a camera in the bathroom. But Raven couldn't be sure. So she grabbed a towel and headed to the communal bathroom.

When the Titans had first started living together they'd had to share a communal bathroom- And it'd been hell. Beast Boy with his puppy habits of non-stop pissing. She swore that he'd be peeing every half hour (He said he had uncontrollable bladder syndrome, Raven just said he was too much like a dog). And if someone was in the bathroom when he HAD to go, well, no one was surprised when there was a stain on the carpet. Starfire who didn't understand the purpose of toothpaste and who was amused with the flushing of a toilet. Sometimes, Raven heard her go into the bathroom at ungodly hours of the night just to flush it. And Robin, who took forever styling his hair in the morning. Twenty minutes spent styling a guy's hair was unacceptable. Raven took less than two.

So the Titans were all glad when Cyborg had installed personal bathrooms in their rooms. Bathrooms that they could truly call their own. Beast Boy could piss whenever he wanted. Starfire could play with the toilet all she wanted. And Wonder Boy could mess with his hair products for however long it took in the mornings.

Raven enjoyed her shower and had just gotten out when Beast Boy knocked on the door. "Umm… Whoever's in there? I need to go to the bathroom. Mine's broken."

She pursed her lips in frustration as she wrapped a thin towel around herself. "Fine. Just give me a minute. Don't want you pissing on the carpet again." And she smirked at him as she walked out with her clothes in hand.

"Ra-Raven?" Beast Boy's eyes bugged out as he took in the sight of the nearly naked girl in front of him. "Why are you naked? Where are your clothes?" He couldn't stop looking. Who could? The towel barely skimmed the tops of her thighs, leaving the smooth, milky expanse of her slim legs naked to the eye. The towel was wrapped tightly around her breasts and he found himself wanting to reach out and touch them before- Wait! This was Raven! His teammate! The one who was always making sarcastic jokes about him. He couldn't think about her like this. But it was soo hard not to…

She rolled her eyes at him. He could ask the most obvious questions. But she decided to humor him. "Shower. And my clothes…" She held up her clothes, waving them in front of his still shocked face.

"Oh. Okay." He managed to squeak out. And he walked into the bathroom, nearly walking into the door.

Raven walked back into her room and made quick work of putting her clothes back on. No need to have Slade see anything on his cameras. But just as she finished putting on her leotard, she heard his voice, "Interesting training session. Though it seems to me that instead of focusing on your fighting skills, you focused on Robin's flirting techniques."

"That wasn't any of your business!"

"It is, since you're to become my new apprentice. And Beast Boy, he seems a bit- keen? Perhaps a bit too keen… Although if you ask me-" Slade went on.

"Well, that's funny. Since as I recall, no one did ask you. Now get out of my room." She finished putting on her shoes and fastening her cloak.

"After that little show you gave me? Now why would I do that?" His voice had suddenly taken a new turn. Almost like he was somewhat sincere. Sincere, yet mocking.

Raven turned red. "I mean it. Go away. I don't want to talk to you. I'll- I'll tell Robin about you. The audio and the cameras. Everything."

"No, you won't. If you would, you would've done so by now."

"Get out!"

"Raven, you will be mine. And it will be sooner rather than later." His voice was back to being cold.

"Go away!" She sank to the floor and covered herself with her arms.

"There's no point in-"

"Raven! Raven! Are you okay?" Robin's voice was calling out to her on the other side of the door and at the sound of that, Slade was silenced.


	5. Chapter Four

Yes, I know. You can all say it. I am a horrible person for not updating in ages. But it's all good now. I did it! Honestly, I have no idea where I'm going with this and while it can be fun to make everything up as I go, it's a little bit stressful at times.

Just in case you were wondering: No, Raven is not a lesbian. Her reading Carmilla (Slade's just as guilty), just means that she had an interest in the slightly provocative Victorian era's view on vampires. As I can't imagine her reading Twilight or any of that other sappy, disco-ball vampire stuff, and I would assume she's already read the original Dracula and Anne Rice books. And besides, Carmilla's not well known and I thought it'd lead to a humorous interaction between Slade and Raven.

Anyways, enjoy reading! No, I don't own Teen Titans or any other media mentioned in here. R&R!

Chapter Four-

Slade sat at the computer, staring up at the massive screen. He had patiently watched the live-feed cameras he'd installed in the tower as each Titans member went to sleep. First Starfire, who had tired after an hour of talking to her plants. Next Cyborg and Beast Boy, who had finally gotten bored of playing Zombie Attack. And last was Robin, who'd spent the whole evening going over files of the teens' enemies. Raven had yet to fall asleep and was currently sitting up in her bed, intent on her book. Slade had the camera zoom in and watched her eyes flit back and forth down the page. She looked determined, as if this book meant life or death. Slade glanced at the title of it on the binding of the book, Carmilla.

Huh, that was a surprise. But then again, most of her reading surprised him. Not into the traditional gothic tales of Edgar Allen Poe as one might assume, Raven read many classics, including Walden, White Fang, This Side of Paradise, Jane Eyre and others. But lesbian vampires? That was new.

He frowned as the girl paused in her reading for the first time that evening and looked around her. Her eyes went over every object in the room and landed at last, at the vent in the wall. The same vent that Slade's camera was in. She didn't break eye contact and Slade felt for sure that she knew where the camera was located. But, after a long minute, she opened up her book and continued reading. This time, with her back facing the air vent.

He felt the beginnings of a smile reach his lips, and promptly rearranged his face in a more suitable expression for a man like himself. Hmm… it was time to pay the girl a visit. Face to face.

Raven glared down at the book in her lap. Her brows were furrowed and the frown on her face only emphasized what she was feeling- Helpless. She was pretty damn sure she'd found one of the cameras. The air vent would be a good spot for it since Raven didn't exactly have the necessary height to go reaching up to grab it. Nor, did she have a need to go messing around in the air ventilation system of the tower. But it still seemed a bit obvious. Which only meant there was more than one. She considered destroying it, but concluded that the effort would be pointless since she wasn't likely to find any of the others.

So, she let it be.

Her mind kept wondering from the book in front of her, and absent-mindedly she let her fingers play with the page. The same page she had been on for at least half an hour. She kept replaying that afternoon's events in her head. The training session with Robin, making Beast Boy practically drool, but above most, Slade's words to her. Yeah, he'd definitely given her Hell. Because after he was finally silenced and Robin came busting through her door with his bo staff out and ready to start a war in her bedroom, she'd had to lie herself out of the mess. And she was pretty certain that Robin had not believed one word. When lying didn't work, Raven had tried the angry card and started yelling at Robin for destroying her door, and screaming for it to be fixed 'immediately'.

"Hey, it's not my fault you're obsessed with being a freaking hero all the time that you knocked down my door for the third time this month! Leave me alone! I don't want to be disturbed." She'd said. Robin had started to feel guilty about the door and stopped asking her questions. Four hours later, and her door was replaced. Beast Boy thought it'd be a nice finishing touch to stick a sign on it that said, "Even if I'm screaming at the top of my lungs for help, or there are creepy, evil psychos in my room, DO NOT DISTURB ME!" Robin didn't think it was funny and took it down immediately. Honestly though, Raven didn't care. If it stopped them from coming in her room, she could deal with it.

She slammed her book closed and threw herself back onto her bed. Closing her eyes, she allowed herself to drift off to sleep.

Raven woke only moments later when she felt something, or rather, someone near her. She opened an eye and found Slade standing at the edge of her bed, holding something. Upon closer inspection, she realized it was a book. Her book. Carmilla.

"I know you're awake, little bird. It's no use pretending to sleep." He didn't even look up as he spoke to her, but kept his eyes focused on the pages.

So she sat up and watched him. Slade looked up a second later, and placed the book back on her bed. "Carmilla? I can honestly say I'm surprised. I didn't think you'd be into lesbian vampires."

"Yeah, well I didn't think you would be either." She said it sarcastically, but at the same time, she wondered.

Slade looked startled at her words, "I'm not. It was summer reading in junior year."

"Junior year? That book was written in the stone ages?" It was very hard to imagine Slade being a good student and doing his assignments. Much less, actually being young enough to go to school. It must've been several decades ago.

Slade bit back a sharp response at her age comment. He was above having petty fights with the girl. Even if she was starting them just to annoy him. "Yes, junior year. I'm afraid I still bear the scars of those brutal fights over the school lunches. There was only so much saber-toothed tiger to go around."

Raven almost laughed. Yes, she, Raven, almost laughed at some sarcastic reference Slade had made about his own age. She quickly composed herself, "So, what're you doing here? In my room."

Slade cocked his head to the side and studied her closely. "I'm offering you a chance."

"For what? To become your apprentice? If you think I'll just waltz off with you and forget my friends-"

"No. I don't think you will. But I think you should have the initial choice."

Raven paused, "Initial?"

"Yes. I thought it'd be better if you joined me of your own free will instead of me having to resort to less pleasant means of getting you to do what I want. However, if you don't make the right choice, I shall have to make it for you." Slade was pretty doubtful that she'd actually come to him of her own accord, but he had hoped. It was so much more work and effort if she wasn't willing.

"So you're giving me one choice with different 'means' to get there? How thoughtful. And here, I thought you were just a psycho maniac. Turns out you're a gentlemanly psycho maniac. Get out of my room."

"Fine, but know that after one week, you must make your choice. One week is quite generous, so don't push it." Slade gave one long look at the girl, then opened her window, and leapt out.

So that's how he got in- the window. Though, last time Raven had checked, all the windows in the tower were locked from the inside. Cyborg would just have to get better locks. She glanced over to where Carmilla lay on her bed and instinctively reached out for it. Raven then placed it next to her, and lay down. Only minutes later, and she was asleep. That day had been too much for her, and she was determined to think about it all tomorrow. What she needed, was sleep.

Slade was back in his home, and checking up on the cameras placed around the tower before going to bed himself. When he got to Raven's room he saw her laying in bed, asleep, holding something close to her chest. He zoomed in with the camera to get a better look at what it was, and raised his eyebrows at the discovery. Carmilla.

Coincidence that he was the last person to touch it? He thought not…


	6. Chapter Five

I do not own Teen Titans. I love reviews. Honestly, that's how this much awaited update came along. After at least a year of having no motivation whatsoever and losing all hope of finishing, I found myself rereading the reviews I've received and voila! An update! Hope you all enjoy! Remember, read and review!

Chapter Five –

He couldn't help but think of how closely she resembled a graceful bird during the training session that morning. Swooping and diving in and out of the obstacles and attacking when she could make a clean hit. But he could tell that her mind was flitting and soaring around just as much as her body. Everywhere her thoughts turned, he would trap her. She truly was like a bird, his beautifully caged bird…

Raven hit the ground as the buzzer sounded and took off at a run. Robin was closing in on her and she needed to make it before him. She needed to take her mind off of everything by winning this training session and distracting herself from him. Unfortunately, Robin had the advantage on this obstacle course because everything was low on the ground and she wasn't able to levitate. Just then, blunt blades came out of the ground and Raven nearly tripped and cursed at the effort it took to not just fly to the finish line. Only a little bit more to go…

Robin clenched his teeth as he pushed himself harder and harder. Usually he'd be going against Cyborg or Beast Boy or even Starfire. But Raven? Hardly ever. She surprised everyone when she asked to go against him on the new course specifically designed for the two superheroes who couldn't fly. And even more surprisingly was that she was making him work hard for this victory.

"…AND ROBIN MAKES IT TO THE FINISH LINE FIRST, THOUGH ONLY .02 SECONDS BEFORE RAVEN!" Cyborg shouted into a mega-phone as Starfire and Beast Boy ran to congratulate the two Titans on their amazing performance.

Robin was leaning into himself, hands grasped firmly over his knees, panting heavily. He looked over to see Raven on all fours, panting just as loudly. When she felt him staring at her, she turned slightly and gave him a dark look. Now was definitely not the time to be coming onto her. Not when she was pouring out sweat by the gallons and couldn't even breathe. He just gave her a lopsided, unapologetic grin.

"Friends! You have done wonderfully!" Starfire ran up to them, lifting them both off the ground in a rib-crushing embrace.

"Star! We can't- breathe!" Robin managed to choke out.

The alien let them go and backed up, her hands clasped together in front of her, smiling at her friends.

Beast Boy jumped in the middle with a grin on his face, "Who's up for pizza? I know I could sure use a great cheesy pie after this work out session. Anyone else in?"

Starfire and Cyborg all nodded in agreement and looked at Robin and Raven for confirmation.

Robin ran his hand through his hair looking at Raven, "So you really did a great job out there! I'm impressed."

She nodded shortly and before he could get another word in or Beast Boy could hound her about grabbing pizza with the team, she headed to the tower for a much needed shower and a little relaxation away from everyone. Behind her, she could hear the others arguing about what type of pizza to order.

As she made her way back to the tower, Raven's mind was swimming with everything that had been going on in the last few days. Her confrontation with Slade in the city hall, training with Robin, and her secret conversations with Slade. She still didn't know what to do about Slade. He'd given her a week to decide, not that she would agree to his terms. There wasn't any decision that needed to be made. She would never leave her friends. Ever. How could he believe that she would so willingly go to his side and betray them?

Entering her room, she began to get ready for her shower. Whipping off her clothes and grabbing her towel, she approached her shower and turned the water on. Waiting for the water to get warm, Raven turned her attention to the mirror in front of her. Her hair had grown much longer. She fingered the wispy strands absent-mindedly and considered cutting it to its normal length. No, she decided, she kind of enjoyed having the new long locks. It made her look older, more mature, more like… a woman.

Suddenly she felt a presence invading her room. She cautiously peered out of her bathroom doorway to see Slade getting comfortable in her room. Perusing through her bookshelf and examining her possessions, he looked up when he felt her stare.

Raven growled with anger at his intrusion, "Azerath Metrion Zinthos!"

Nothing. She glanced down at her hands in disbelief.

"I apologize, but I couldn't take the risk that you'd be stupid with this impromptu visit, so I took the liberty of using this," in his hands, he held a steel bracelet with a chakra that resembled her own. Raven groaned internally. How could she be so stupid to leave something like that out lying about in her room? Of course he would know what it was and would use it to his advantage.

"What the hell are you doing here? I'm taking a shower!" She self-consciously hugged her towel tightly around herself.

Slade didn't seem to care, he just nodded. "It looked to me as if you were primping."

Raven snorted, in a failed attempt to deny the fact.

"Anyways, it doesn't matter much to me. As long as you dedicate yourself first and foremost to your training, that is. Keeping your appearance up is always a good thing, especially for missions that require a certain kind of, how do I say it, persuasion."

The girl narrowed her eyes, "Gross."

Slade chuckled darkly, "Perhaps, but very effective," he paused to look up from the spell book he had been looking through, "Have you given any thought to my proposition?"

Raven felt the hot steam of the shower wafting from within the bathroom she had abandoned. She shook her head firmly, glaring at him. "No, I'd never leave my friends to work for you."

"Hmm… then perhaps now is the time to use some necessary… persuasion. Do you agree?" His mask's eye glinted menacingly at her from across the room.

She froze, eyes widening with fear. The older man relished in her fear. He could practically taste it, and he swore he had never tasted anything sweeter. He cocked his head at her and went on, "So what persuasive tactic shall I try on you?"

Raven nervously backed up into the safety of her bathroom, the steam so thick she could barely see. She saw Slade's figure first in the doorway and then right in front of her, pushing her into the tile wall. She now desperately wished that she had joined her friends in going to the pizzeria – wished that she could scream and someone would hear her. But no one else was in the tower, only herself and this horrid man standing in front of her, pressing against her sweating, terrified form.

She glared up at him giving herself some pretense of courage, "I'm not scared of you. Whatever you are planning on doing won't convince me to leave my team."

She flinched as she felt his big hand caress her hair and pushed a single, sweaty strand out of her face. Slade looked down at the small, fragile girl trembling with fear and rage against him.

"What if I told you that your friends' lives depend on it?"


	7. Chapter Six

Thank you everyone for reading and reviewing! Please know that while I may not remember to add the disclaimer into every one of my chapters, I still don't own anything - not even Starfire's mustard.

Anyways, enjoy! And please review!

Chapter Six -

Raven sagged slightly against the wall behind her. The humidity was starting to get to her. She couldn't breathe without feeling the effects of the hot steam. Slade's body still pressed against her own and she was hesitant to push him away. What did he mean her friends' lives depended on it? Though Slade regularly fought the teenagers, he'd never verbally threatened their lives. That was going a bit far, even for him.

"I see that got your attention." Slade felt her body leaning more against the wall behind her. Almost as if she were trying to just disappear within it.

Trapped, she was trapped. She mumbled some profane slur under her breath. It really was getting too hot in here. Her mind felt cloudy with the heat. She pushed an arm between them, feeling relieved with the idea of having more space separating both of them. "I don't understand why this conversation can't just wait. I am trying to take a shower here."

"As you wish," And he left her.

Raven froze suddenly. He'd gone – just like that. No witty argument, no further intimidation, just left. Warily, she poked her head out from her bathroom and looked into the depths of her room. There was no sign of him. Her bracelet lay on top of her chest of drawers, appearing undisturbed. It was almost as if he had never been there – almost…

Exhausted, Raven slumped to the ground beside her tub. She reached out to turn off the water and sat there until the steam cleared up. As the steam began to clear up, so did her mind. She got up and made her way into her room determinedly. She threw herself on the bed, not caring that her towel had unraveled from about her small form and was doing little to conceal her body. Angrily, she punched her fist into her pillow.

She really was stupid. What had she been thinking? She should've fought back, even without the use of her powers, she wasn't completely useless. She had been training with Robin recently and could have at least used some of what she had learned against Slade.

What if I told you that your friends' lives depend on it? His words ran through her mind and she fought to regain control. She rolled over onto her back and stared at her ceiling intently, eyebrows furrowing as she lost herself in her mind.

Raven drifted in and out of sleep that night. Her dreams turned into nightmares. Nightmares that starred a certain one-eyed villain… 

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><p>She was dressed in a black jumpsuit, a silver, metal corset hugging her waist. Her boots went up to her knees and a black cloak, similar to her usual blue one, hid her from the prying eyes of her Master. Her hood was up and her head bent in a silent submission to him.<p>

"Good, very good. I'm impressed. You've improved greatly." He paced around her as he spoke, leaning in from behind and whispering his praise.

"You've come so far." His words gentle, guiding. How could she have ever doubted him? He'd promised and he'd delivered. It definitely hadn't always been perfect. The abuse, both physical and mental, had been trying, the rigorous training sessions, her initial regret over losing her friends… But she had to admit, without Slade she wouldn't have ever grown this powerful.

Raven looked up from the cement ground she was kneeling on to face her Master. Still circling her like a predator would its prey, he nodded down at her to speak, "Thank you. I hope to-" 

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><p>Raven felt herself cringe as she took in the outfit she was handed. Really? Could they have picked anything <em>more <em>cliché? She was pretty damn sure she'd get more fans dancing in her uniform. But she pulled it on, nonetheless. From within the dressing room, she could hear the loud, pulsing music emanating from the club.

Checking to make sure she wasn't being watched by the mass of changing girls, she pulled the picture from her discarded boots. He was a tall, older gentleman. He wore glasses and leant heavily on his cane. His face resembled a weathered map and his body seemed frail and weak. Surely this old man couldn't pose a threat to her? But upon further inspection, she saw his eyes - black, beady, and cruel. Those were the eyes of a killer.

"Going. Now." A girl pushed her towards the stage entrance, motioning for her to go, in case her broken English wasn't enough.

Raven hastily stashed away the photograph of her target and followed the girl's instruction. Before stepping on stage, she reminded herself of the additional photograph she had tucked away – Slade's. Her Master gave her courage even with the knowledge that he was oceans away. She would accomplish her mission tonight, no matter the cost. She would not let herself fail him… 

* * *

><p>"Damnit! Are you <em>trying<em> to kill me?" She groaned as she brought herself back up from the ground. That was three times he'd managed to easily send her flying across the room.

"It's not my fault that you can't fight, let alone defend yourself against some basic moves." He began to move towards her again.

The girl rolled her eyes at his remark and gritted her teeth to keep from retorting. She knew by now what came of snarky comments in the training room – Hell.

Slade came within a couple of yards of where she was standing. Raven tried to stop panting and prepare herself for his next move, but she could hardly breathe. She felt a sharp, piercing stab of pain whenever she inhaled. He didn't allow her any additional recovery time. He struck.

Slade's long legs followed through with a swift kick to her abdomen. Raven grunted as she made contact with the wall. She collapsed on the ground, legs tangled together. She was hunched over in the fetal position, cradling her stomach.

"You won. I'm done for today." She managed to croak.

He approached her and knelt down, assessing her injuries. She glared up at him when he made an attempt to further evaluate the damage.

"You'll live. I've survived much worse." 

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><p>Slade couldn't help but wonder what his little bird was dreaming of that night. She was tossing and turning in her bed like usual, but her face seemed animated and if he listened hard enough, he could make out words.<p>

"Thank you… Are you trying to kill me… You won…" Interesting. Perhaps his little bird's subconscious knew what was best for her. And with that, he turned off the video surveillance and proceeded to head in for the night.


	8. Chapter Seven

I'm really shocking myself this week. I hadn't updated this story in over a year and now three new chapters in less than 48 hours? Crazy… Anyways, I apologize for the last chapter. The majority of it was taken up by the dream she had. Yet, I thought it was kind of fun being able to show you snippets of what's in store for our lovely and lonely little demon…

Big thanks and shout outs to the following:

Gingerstorm101, who has been reading this since day one and was one of the first people to review. Thank you for your dedicated reading and reviewing! I hope you continue to enjoy!

SladeRavenFan, whose detailed reviews make me smile every time I read them. You really do know how to motivate someone to keep going! Thank you for that!

And a new-comer, Lord-of-Change, whose first review gave me quite a sense of accomplishment and really let me know that continuing this story was the right thing to do!

P.S. If your name is not mentioned, please understand that I mean nothing personal by it. I wish I could take up as many pages as I could and fill it with thank-you's and the like. However, I have the feeling that wouldn't go over so well. So just know if I didn't mention any recent reviewers in this chapter, I will get to you eventually!

ENJOY! And remember, read and review! 

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><p>Chapter Seven – <p>

It had been a week. A restless, worry-filled week. Raven was in the common room reading a book and trying desperately to block out the argument Cyborg and Beast Boy were having over the remote.

"DUDE! I swear I put it back on the table! Don't blame me because you can't see."

"Can't see? I can see perfectly fine. And what I see right now is no freaking remote!"

Beast Boy scratched his head and continued his search, tossing the pillows from the couch every which way as he looked.

She was getting more and more irked with every pillow that collided into her face. But before she could say anything, the tower alarms started going off. Starfire and Robin immediately ceased making lunch, Beast Boy and Cyborg's pointless argument was forgotten, and Raven threw her book to the ground. Within seconds, the common room was abandoned. 

* * *

><p>The five Titans were outside the library in just moments. They looked at their leader expectantly.<p>

"Raven, get all the civilians out of the library and to safety. Beast Boy and Starfire, guard the exits until every civilian is out and then join me and Cyborg inside! We'll have to work together as a team to corner Red X and capture him. We need to find out what he's doing in there and stop him!" Robin motioned for Cyborg to join him and the rest of the team split up, following his directions.

Raven phased into her soul self and found herself in the library just a moment later. She could see Red X terrorizing the civilians in his usual careless, roguish way. But his attention was also on something else. She could see that he was going down every aisle, books flying everywhere as he searched for something.

"Everyone, get out!" She quickly and efficiently rounded up the civilians and got them out of the library. All except for one. There was an older man with white hair that kept making his way through the shelves and perusing the books as if he was hard of hearing or just didn't care. Rolling her eyes, she rushed over to him and got in front of him, hands on her hips. "Sir, you're going to have to leave with everyone else. A criminal is in the library and will hurt you if you get in his way."

He was tall and muscular. And even though he had white hair, she was surprised to see that he wasn't ancient – at least, not as ancient as she had assumed. He towered over her and when he finally turned his head to look at her, she saw he was wearing an eye patch over one eye. His penetrating blue eye looked her over.

The slight girl felt uneasy under the tall man's gaze. Her skin prickled with fear and she suddenly got the feeling that there was nothing she could do to protect this man. He could easily take care of himself. Raven felt herself backing up as the man continued towards her. There was something sinister about him and she was beginning to feel very nervous. Her eyes blazed and she raised her hands a bit, allowing her black orbs of energy to pulse.

"Well, aren't you going to take me to safety?" His words took her aback and she immediately dropped her defenses.

She frowned at him and motioned for him to follow. She could hear Cyborg, Beast Boy, Starfire, and Robin as they fought Red X above them on the second floor. Raven hurried the man out of the library and into the back alley. As she went to leave and join her friends in the battle, she felt a strong grip grasp around her upper arm.

She made a point of looking down at his large hand that was holding her back and looking back up at him, "Just what do you think you're doing? I led you to safety, now let go of me. I have to help my friends."

"Friends? What friends?" His manipulative and menacing voice gave her chills. This was wrong… all wrong. She knew that voice.

"Oh, Raven. I think we all know better than to believe you actually have friends." Her eyes widened as she realized her fears had been justified.

Her eyes lit up again, blazing white with both fear and anger. She would fight him this time. She wouldn't allow him to mock her teammates and she certainly wouldn't allow him to harm them like he'd threatened just days earlier.

Slade's grip turned into a metal-like hold and he swung her from the exit door into the alley. Raven got up from the littered ground and turned to face him. She raised her hands and chanted, "Azerath Metrion Zinthos!"

He dodged the dumpster she had thrown at him and used a flurry of kicks and punches to break her concentration. She now had to fully focus on escaping each sequence of attacks and couldn't be on the offensive. Raven threw shield after shield up, finding herself getting more and more tired. If only she could have a moment to summon her powers. But that was exactly what Slade was trying to prevent by making her always have to be on her toes.

"I told you to work more on your hand to hand combat. With some opponents, you'll find you don't have the time to focus your powers and use them." She was getting sloppy. She no longer had the energy to keep her shield up the entire time he was attacking and she was horrible at timing when she should have her shield up and when to bring it down.

She lingered a second too long in bringing up her defense and he saw his opening. He flung a downward punch and it connected with her jaw. Crying in pain, she fell.

"Better get up. Your enemies won't wait until you're fully rested and recovered." He demonstrated for her as if to prove his point and kicked her in the gut. She was pitched into the wall of the alley. Raven coughed up blood and looked up at his looming figure.

"Say good-night my little bird," She saw Slade drawing back his arm for a punch aimed directly above her eye and that's when everything went dark. 

* * *

><p>"Raven! Raven, come in!" Silence.<p>

Robin frowned down at the communicator, "Cyborg, enable her tracker." The Titans had lost Red X and Robin was already in a foul mood. Coming back to the tower to find that their fifth teammate had never made it home didn't help.

Cyborg sat at the computer and a map filled the expanse of their common room television screen. He raised his eyebrow when the only dots that showed up on the map showed the four remaining Titans in the tower. "Nothing. She must have disabled her tracker."

"No, Friend Raven would not do that!" Starfire worriedly exclaimed as she looked up at the screen above her.

"Starfire's right. Raven knows better. If she's not showing up on the map, it's because someone has disabled her tracker - someone who doesn't want us to find her." Robin paced back and forth for a moment. He looked up at the map again and stared at it determinedly, "So we're just going to have to find her the old fashioned way."


	9. Chapter Eight

Surprise! A new chapter is here. Enjoy!

Again: Please note, I do not own anything Teen Titans.

Please read and review! It's usually when I go back through and read my reviews that I can kick start the writing process.

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><p>It had only been five days since Slade had captured the half-demon superhero. In that small amount of time, he'd learned a few things. He could not use food as a means to get Raven to do what he wanted; the girl would happily starve herself as a "Fuck you" to him. He'd also learned that keeping her in a small, dark room would not make her want his company. She was quite content with being by herself and the lack of light didn't bother her. If Slade wanted to get anywhere with her, he'd have to change his methods drastically. The mental and physiological torture had worked wonders with Terra and Robin. However, Raven was different.<p>

Slade sat at his desk and massaged his temple, contemplating what his next strategy would be. His personal computer was set to stream the live-video feed from Raven's room. So far she had shown no weaknesses he could exploit. He leant back in his chair and let his mind go blank, as he observed the video feed.

* * *

><p>Raven was leaning against a wall in her small, closet-sized room, disregarding the loud hunger pains from her stomach. Exhausted, she hadn't eaten in five days. Yet she was resolved to continue starving for however long it took. However, each dish that was brought to her seemed to be getting increasingly sweeter and more tempting. The last one being a whole chocolate mousse pie – all for her. Not eating that had been among one of the most torturous moments of her life.<p>

Raven's thoughts drifted to her lack of powers. She was sure that Slade was going to withhold them from her until he trusted her. But just how he expected to convert her to the dark side, she was unsure. In the meantime, she would just have to fight her way out physically. Her stomach growled again and she tried to ignore the fact that she'd have to eat to be able to gain strength enough to fight Slade. It honestly seemed easier to continue starving and hope that Slade would let her out, than to eat and have to fight Slade hand-to-hand to gain her freedom.

Troubled, and desperate to be distracted from the pie set in front of her, she began to meditate. "Azerath Metrion Zinthos. Azerath Metrion Zinthos."

She abruptly stopped when she heard the key turning in the door. She peeped open an eye to see Slade standing in the doorway of her tiny room. His arms crossed, he glanced down disapprovingly at her untouched pie. "Get up."

The teenaged girl acknowledged his command with a simple nod. Raven moved to get up, but her bones protested noisily and she was forced to first get on her hands and knees before gingerly pushing herself up. Noting her growing weakness, Slade held open the door for her in an unexpected act of kindness. The girl shot him a glare betraying her distrust, but followed.

"We're going to train. I expect you to put forth your best effort." He guided her through a maze of halls before reaching a large metal door. Slade keyed in a code, before opening the door. He pushed Raven into the large training room and went in after her.

"As you can see, the training room is very large and has every kind of equipment you will ever have use for. You will be spending many hours down here each day, so get used to it."

Raven hardly glanced at the room, instead glaring at Slade. "I don't know why you even brought me here. I'm only going to be training every day so I can kill your ass and get the hell out of here."

In a move too quick for her to register, she found herself knocked to the floor. Her stomach clenched together in pain, she doubled over, cradling her torso.

"Never curse. It just shows a lack of intelligence and respect. And don't tell me your plans to kill me, unless I'm already dead. I will most definitely hurt you and might just kill you first for your insolence. Now, are we understood?" He knelt beside her and roughly grabbed her jaw, forcing her to look up at him. Pain was clearly written on her face, as well as intense hatred, but she managed a nod. "Good." He released her and stood, "Now, stand and face me."

Raven forced herself to get up, biting back a comment that would likely end with her on the floor and badly bruised. She adjusted her stance to mimic his. If he was starting training right now, she was screwed. With nothing in her stomach and her arms feeling like two hundred pound weights each, she had no energy to defend herself, let alone fight.

Slade took in Raven's lousy fighting stance. She looked ready to keel over, not attack. However, he'd decided the only way to prevent her from starving was to create a situation that required her body to be fueled with food. Hopefully she would learn after this training session, that in order to prevent herself from being hurt, she had to eat to fight well. If not, he'd have to work on her another way.

Slade then began a ruthless series of hits and kicks that all made connection with Raven. She tried to defend herself, but each countermove was so sloppy that she was practically an unmoving target. Raven made one last effort to block a particularly solid kick to the upper body and failed miserably. She laid sprawled on the floor and clutching her ribcage. Moaning, she pulled herself to a sitting position.

Slade stopped his relentless torture and sighed, "That was by far the most pathetic round I've ever had the displeasure of engaging in. You lasted less than thirty seconds." He approached her and pushed aside her arms with his foot, feeling a sharp piece of rib bone protruding from her thoracic wall. Raven inhaled sharply and glared, pulling away from him.

"Wintergreen will see you to your room. I suggest you eat tonight so that you aren't as boring a competition tomorrow." Slade fixed her with a cold eye and left.

Wintergreen appeared quickly and helped the girl up, allowing her to lean on him as necessary. He escorted her to her room, examined her injury and patched her up as best he could, and left, promising to arrive shortly with a plate.

* * *

><p>Slade had just ate and gotten cleaned up. He approached his personal computer and prepared to go over some business propositions, when the video of Raven caught his attention. She had just been given a hot plate of food by Wintergreen and was actually eating it. She picked around at the lemon herb roasted chicken, childishly examining it for any sign of poison, before eating it. Raven devoured the mashed potatoes and broccoli soon after. Once her dinner was gone, she set out to eat the entire apple pie that had a plate of its own.<p>

Slade felt a hint of a smirk on his lips, as he watched the girl finally break and enjoy the food in front of her. It was the first step of many that would bring her to fully trusting him and following him. He could nearly taste the victory. "Wintergreen, bring me a slice of pie." It had suddenly dawned on him that he had missed his dessert today.


End file.
